Martin and the ACA announcement:

[Raine1967]

I am posting this here, because I know things tend to get lost in the big groups and I want our MO'M friends to know this.

This was the OP, and it was awesome: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141127138#top

Source: 4President.us

BALTIMORE, MD— Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold subsidies in The Affordable Care Act, Governor Martin O'Malley released the following statement:

"The Affordable Care Act has helped more than 17 million Americans access quality and affordable health coverage. Now that the Supreme Court has, once again, upheld the Affordable Care Act, we must continue to build and improve upon this hard won-progress. With the national goal of universal coverage now affirmed, we must reduce costs by improving wellness. Innovations for better coordinated care, personalized medicine, and the alignment of profit incentives to promote wellness make all of this possible."

Read more: http://blog.4president.org/2016/2015/06/martin-omalley-praises-scotus-ruling-to-uphold-subsidies-in-the-affordable-care-act.html

The following is my response, and I really think it is important. It's not just about saying he was ahead of the game, it is about the fact tha tO'Malley wanted health care availability for ALL back in 2007.

And that includes immigrants.. http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1127662

He knew right out of the gate how important this legislation would be.

HE actually asked the state legislature to pass Maryland healthcare act (to expand health coverage) in his State of the State address in 2007. http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5300/sc5339/000113/003000/003297/unrestricted/20070069e.html

Health Care

In order to begin to turn around the alarming healthcare trend of rising costs and a rising number of uninsured Marylanders every year, I ask that you pass the Maryland Healthcare Act. Among other things the act will:

• Create a Health Insurance Exchange to help small businesses find more affordable coverage for their employees – on a pre-tax basis.

• It will require insurance companies to allow younger adults up to age 25 to be covered under their parents' policies.

• And it will also provide healthcare coverage to more children in our state.

I also ask for your support for several other initiatives in this year's proposed budget:

• $25 million for Stem Cell research – a 66% increase over last year's appropriation.

• The restoration of Medicaid healthcare benefits to legal immigrant families, including 3,000 children.

• And over $100 million to strengthen our provider systems by increasing reimbursement rates for doctors participating in our State's Medicaid Program.

When physicians and other providers do not receive adequate compensation for the services they provide, it threatens the quality and effectiveness of our healthcare system. Therefore, as part of our legislative agenda, I ask for your support of the task force on Health Care Access and Physician Reimbursement.

I also ask for your support to create a Life Science Advisory Board – as a potential precursor to a true Life Sciences Authority – so that we can more effectively grow an industry that already employs 57,000 people in and around places like NIH, Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland and the Food and Drug Administration, to name just a few.

And finally on healthcare, I ask for your support of a Universal Vaccine Purchasing Task Force, so we can better understand how to protect Marylanders against the flu and other foreseeable diseases.

Because healthcare is a battle of a thousand partial victories, I look forward to working with Chairman Hammen, Chairman Middleton and others in the weeks ahead, as we roll up our sleeves to craft ways to improve healthcare coverage and our healthcare outcomes.

[FSogol]

1. K&R. What's more is that he wants to expand healthcare coverage to everyone.

[Raine1967]

2. I want more expansion. We can talk economic inequality forever, but that won't

matter without making healthcare more available to more people.

and I am very serious about this.

the 99% will be shit out of luck without decent and approachable health care.